469. What To do If You Don't Find Water Or Dust For Tayammum

By Asma bint Shameem 

QUESTION?

*If someone needs a purity bath but he/she cannot find water or even dust for tayammum, what can they do?*

*How should they pray?*

*ANSWER*

If you’re in need of taking the purity ghusl but you’re someplace where that’s not at all possible, then do the following:

▪️ *Delay your prayer*

if it’s one of the prayers that can be combined like Dhuhr or Maghrib and COMBINE the prayers once you get home or at some place where you CAN take that ghusl. 

▪️ *But I’ll miss my prayer!*

If it’s a prayer that cannot be combined or you’ll miss your prayer by the time you get home, (like you’re at work/school/airplane etc) and there’s no means of taking a bath, then you must do TAYAMMUM and purify yourself and offer the prayers. 

Imaam an-Nawawi said: 

“If there is no water or she is unable to use it and she performed Tayammum, everything which was forbidden due to the ritual impurity becomes permissible, since *Tayammum is the alternative for Ghusl.*”

▪️ *What if there’s no dust available for tayammum?*

If there’s not even any ‘dust’ to do tayammum, then pray *as you are*, WITHOUT tahaarah and your prayer would be valid. 

That’s because the circumstances are *beyond your control*. 

And Allaah will never punish us for something that’s beyond our control. 

Allaah is not unfair. 

Rather He’s Most Merciful.

He KNOWS your situation and He knows you are sincerely eager to fulfill the obligation of prayer, but you’re not able to take ghusl due to reasons beyond your control. 

Allaah says:

“So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can”

[al-Taghaabun 64:16]

And He said:

“Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope”[al-Baqarah 2:286]

And the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: 

“If I command you to do a thing, then do as much of it as you can.” (al-Bukhaari)  

And Allaah says: 

“… while He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity.”[al-An’aam 6:119]

Ibn Hazm said: 

“Whoever is detained, whether he is traveling or not, in such a state that he cannot find dust or water, or he is being crucified, and the time for prayer comes, then he should pray *as he is*, and his prayer will be complete and does not have to be repeated, whether he finds water within the time of the prayer or after the time is over. 

We are not obliged to do more than we are able to, and that if we are unable to do something, we are relieved of the obligation. 

We learn that Allaah has forbidden us to neglect wudhu or tayammum for prayer, unless we are forced “under compulsion of necessity”. The one who is deprived of water and dust is forced by necessity to do something which is forbidden, i.e., to forgo purifying himself with water or dust; so the prohibition does not apply in his case. 

If he prays as we have mentioned, then he has prayed as Allaah has commanded him to do, and whoever prays as Allaah has commanded him to do is not to blame.” 

(Al-Muhallaa, 1/363, 364)

Someone asked Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen:

“If there is no water on board a plane, or it is frozen, or one is not allowed to use it in case it leaks and causes damage to the plane, or there is no enough water, how can a passenger do wudhu’, knowing that there is no soil or earth there?”

Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“In the cases that you describe, wudhu is not possible or is difficult. Allaah says: 

“and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship” [al-Hajj 22:78] 

So the passenger should do tayammum using the chairs of the airplane, if there is dust there. 

If there is no dust, then he should pray even if he is not taahir, because he is unable to purify himself.

Allaah says:

“So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can” [al-Taghaabun 64:16]   

But if it is possible that you will land in the airport before the end of the time of the second of two prayers that may be joined together, then he should delay it, i.e., he should have the intention of joining the prayers and praying at the later time. Then he should pray both prayers when he lands at the airport. 

But if that is not possible, e.g. it is already the time for the latter of two prayers that may be joined, or it is a prayer which cannot be joined to the following prayer – such as ‘Asr and Maghrib, or ‘Ishaa’ and Fajr, or Fajr and Zuhr – then he should pray that according to his circumstances. “ 

( I’laam Al-Musaafireen Bi Ba’d Aadaab Al-Safr Wa Ma Yakhuss Al-Mallaaheen Al-Jawwiyyeen, P. 11)

And Allaah knows best